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It's tough to find adventurous places for winter travel on a budget other than Asia. And, even more difficult if you would like to incorporate a little (or lot) of physical exercise. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I chose to visit Morocco for those exact reasons. We eliminated Fes and Casablanca on our Trip Through Morocco by Bus & Taxi because of distance, money and both cities were just a little too cool in the winter. However, the southern regions of Morocco are milder. Perhaps not hot, but certainly warm enough to walk around in light weight clothing with a wrap for the cooler nights and walk and/or hike in an fascinating area.
The Adventure Company, UK recently sent me a short video and detailed information about a Morocco trips that incorporated a trek and sounded both interesting and fun. One of their participants wrote the following (paraphrased) and I thought you may be interested. It's a "physical" trip and if trekking is not your druthers, The Adventure Company, UK has many other offerings in Morocco along with 230 others on every continent. I'm toying with taking one of the easier, more cultural ones, myself.
Continue reading "Visit Morocco This Winter" »
Morocco is an extremely popular destination, perceived as a "safe country without any problems" and you can be fairly certain that there won't be any. Besides that, Morocco is clean, efficient and easy to get around. A few suggestions:
- Head south towards the desert area or base yourself in Agadir and take day trips to towns like Ouazazarte, Taroudant and Tafroute;
- Tafroute is located in the heart of the Anti-Atlas. Take time to trek or wander through the scenic boulders, mountains and typical small, mud-bricked villages. Tafroute bears a big resemblance to Arizona;
Continue reading "Sheila's Fast and Easy Morocco" »
We tried different tanjines while in Morocco (read the detailed scoop on Moroccan food February 4 post), sat by the hotel swimming pool, and drank lots of mint tea. Watch out for the sugar in mint tea. Arab cultures usually dump lots of sugar into both their tea and coffee and we happen to like ours sugar free. A big gag...when I first unthinkingly slurped some.
Other things to do in Marrakech could be a run or walk around the old ramparts still standing since the 13th century. If you decide to take a lap, be warned, the walls run for 12 miles! Take a caleche ride, get your bearings on the double-decker City Sightseeing bus and visit the stinky tanneries. Tanneries? Either a guide or "someone" will lead you up to a rooftop with big vats of quicklime where animal skins are soaked. They are then softened with chemicals present in pigeon droppings...eew...before being dried in the sun and dyed in more vats of saffron, indigo, kohl and other colors - made into ottomans and other leather objects.
Continue reading "The Old Jewish Area of Marrakech, Morocco - The Mellah" »
The ancient Djemma el Fna is the famous, open city square in Marrakech where dancers, fortune tellers, and storytellers put on a constant show. There were snake charmers, fire eaters, orange juice sellers, food stalls and the omnipresent touts. This square was once the site of public executions but it now a "must see" experience.
The Djemma-el Fna doesn't really come alive until the evening. Arrive early to watch the sunset from one of the many cafes surrounding the square. Several cafes and restaurants have upper terraces to watch the mayhem going on down below without worries of pickpockets or getting sucked into something you'd rather not. I really prefer not to have a snake draped over my shoulders!
Continue reading "Djemma el Fna, Marrakech's Famous Square - Morocco" »
...the constant pestering by pseudo guides, sellers and touts will turn you off on the charm and beauty of this place. No matter what area of Morocco tourists visit, no one eliminates Marrakech. Simple to get to by grand taxi, petit taxi, public bus, car or airplane with an abundance of sights and cacophony of noise. After the smaller towns, devoid of offensive touts, Marrakech was a shock and assault to the senses. I don't think our taxi driver had ever visited Marrakech before and he drove round and round for an hour searching for the hotel before his macho pride allowed him to ask for directions.
The Hotel Tichka was a new modern hotel within walking distance of the old city with a swimming pool and all the amenities. We had two full days to take in all the Marrakech sights and wasted no time hiring an official and licensed guide through the hotel.
Continue reading "Marrakech, Morocco Is Either Love At First Sight, or..." »
It was very dramatic leaving Ouazazate early in the morning with the town nestled in the oasis surrounded by sand and mountains. The small village of Ait Ben Haddou is only 29 km/18 miles northwest of Ouarzazate and over 130,000 visitors a year come to see this extremely scenic sight. Popular, even when we visited, it was nothing like the hordes of people now. Ait Ben Haddou is perched on a hillside overlooking a river bed with defense walls, towers, houses, stables, narrow lanes all constructed from a mix of red earth and stone. Ait Ben Haddou was probably established early as the 11th century to control the southern caravan trade route that passed from the Sahara to Marrakesh through here. The Kasbah (or ksour is virtually abandoned and most of the residents have moved across the river.
A taxi from Ouarzazate only costs about 10 Dinar ($1.25) but I'd make arrangements with one to take you there and wait for the return journey. Believe me...you aren't going to stay all day.
Continue reading "The Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (Ait Benhaddou), Morocco" »
A five-hour taxi ride from Taroudant to Ouazazate...View image..., (a small city but the last big town in the south) used as a jump off point for trips into the desert and called the door of the desert. Aptly named because African traders once crossed here on their way to northern cities in Morocco and Europe. Ouazazate is also the home of Atlas Studios, one of the largest movie studios in the world and now open to the public. Movies shot on location around this area include: Lawrence of Arabia, The Man Who Would Be King, Gladiator and Alexander.
Our sole purpose for visiting Ouazazate was to see the old Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou before ending the trip in Marrakesh. Unfortunately, not enough time to plan an expedition out to Merzouga, M'Hamid and the Dunes of Erg Chebbi. Camels and sand dunes are favorites of mine and many agencies here can arrange a trek to spend one night in the dunes or a longer period of time.
Continue reading "The Small City of Ouazazate, Morocco" »
Taroudant is such a picturesque little town encircled with walls and ramparts in a peach colored clay. It was (and is) possible to take excursions into the surrounding palmeries and villages but we just sat around the pool, walked to and from the souk a few times a day, and vegetated for a few days.
You could visit the oases of Tioute and Freija, trek through the Atlas Mountains, visit a traditional Berber village or even try a camel ride. (Been there...done it...) One day, we ambled out of the Hotel Palais Salam and discovered a big celebration taking place right out the front door. We think it was in honor of King Hassan II's anniversary because of the many pictures...View image..., but since our Arabic is nonexistant with the exception of Yela - hurry, or move it, Salam or Marhaba - hello, and yumkin bukra - maybe tomorrow (this is our big one), never did get a definitive answer. Whatever this celebration or festival was for, it was colorful, interesting (although we didn't understand one word) and Taroudant was packed with people.
Continue reading "A Touradant, Morocco Celebration in Honor of The King" »
All righty now...I'm sure lamb's head, eyeballs and other esoteric foods are delicious, but I just can't "stomach" the thought of eating them. There is an abundance of Moroccan food, however, that is to my taste beginning with Tajines.
A Moroccan Tajine is basically a slow-cooked stew traditionally cooked in a tajine pot see photograph below), whose cover has a knob-like formation (or handle) at its top for easy removal. Tanjines are usually made with less expensive cuts of meat and simmered until it falls off the bone. Combine your lamb or chicken with different ingredients or seasonings. Olives, apples, pears, apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, nuts, are commonly used along with ground cinnamon, saffron, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and pepper.
Continue reading "Favorite Moroccan Foods" »
The Morocco climate is Mediterranean which means plenty of warm sunny days throughout the year. The winters are cool here and that is why we stayed as far south as possible. Statistically speaking, Morcocco is the fourth most populated African country with over 33 million people.
Public buses are supremely cheap in Morocco and clean. On the local bus from Tafraoute to Taroudant (a mere 164 km/100 miles, we discovered why there are paper cups at each seat. For locals who get motion sickness and there were plenty of them since the route was very hilly. Swell... All I have to do is hear the sounds of upchucking and I want to join in. Other then the military and police coming on the bus every now and then to check identify papers, the bus trip was uneventful. Off the bus, the Hotel Palais Salam is a former pasha's guesthouse, within easy walking distance and is set right in the shadow of the city walls. The #1 hotel here is La Gazelle d'Or a plush estate of individual bungalows and way beyond our budget.
Continue reading "The Oasis Town of Taroudant, Morocco" »
The Hotel Les Almandiers had a beautiful swimming pool...View image... with gorgeous vistas of the unusual rock formations. The entire area was very Sonoma, Arizona looking especially around sunset when the boulders took on the deep red coloring. Above Tafraoute is a massive ridge of pinkish-brown quartzite known as Jebel Lekst (the amethyst mountain) and throughout this area of Morocco, young men would sell chunks of amethyst (not gem quality) along the road.
There are many challenging treks in this area through the rocks and green valleys with Jebel Lekst the star attraction. You can also trek around Jebel Aklim northeast of Tafraoute surrounded by Berber villages. If you decide to trek around here, watch out for snow in the winter on the high passes and very hot summers. We set out again on another round trip...View image... for one last look at the little villages growing wheat, barley, olives and almonds....
Continue reading "Visiting Tafraoute, Morocco and Its Market" »
It was an easy 2-1/2 hour bus ride from Tiznit to Tafraoute with the only problems occurring because it was King Hassan II's anniversary of his coronation. King Hassan II succeeded to the throne in 1961, and ruled Morocco for 38 years, until he died in 1999. Police and soldiers were stopping buses and automobiles along the road and came onto our bus to check identity papers and passports. When they came to us and one other Westerner in the public bus, it took a very long hour bus hold up while the military made sure that our papers were in order. No worries...
The Hotel Les Almandiers, Tafraoute...View image... is situated in the center of the town on top of a granite elevation overhanging the magnificent palm valley and surrounding pink rocks. Very close to the walks and sightseeing that visitors come here to see. Years later, the hotel rates are still very reasonable at $61 U.S. per night and I seem to remember never paying more than $35 U.S. for any hotel in Morocco. And this is for moderate hotels! You can certainly pay much, much less in Morocco. Or...much, much more at luxurious hotels. You choose....
Continue reading "Tafraoute, Morocco's Mountains and Boulders" »
It is only 90 km/56 miles from Agadir to Tiznit and an easy drive. Tiznit is an interesting walled city and refers to itself as the "Pearl of the Moroccan south." Built around 1883 by the 17th sultan of the Alaouite dynasty, Tiznit is a good base to visit the national park and wildlife sanctuary to the north, desert to the south and a mild climate thanks to the Atlantic Ocean only 15 km/9 miles away.
The first French language snafu occurred when the taxi pulled into the main square of Tiznit and gestured to us to get out in front of a shabby "hotel" with derelict people hanging around. This was the Hotel Idou Tiznit? AppalIed looks exchanged while ex-Marine muttered under his breath, "This is the hotel you booked?" I waved my reservation with the address in front of the taxi driver's nose, he made a few inquiries, and two blocks down, there there was the modern Hotel Idou Tiznit on Avenue Hassan II. Big sighs of relief...
Continue reading "Tiznit, Morocco and Silver Jewelry" »
The Hotel Anezi, Agadir on Boulevard Mohamed V is a modern hotel located only a few blocks away from the beaches. Agadir is sometimes refered to as "Morocco's Miami Beach" because of its mild, year round climate. It is also an ultra modern holiday city with all types of sports activities besides clean beaches. Surrounded by the Anti-atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert towards the south, and within close proximity to Taroudant, Tiznit, Tafraout and Marrakesh, Agadir is a popular European tourist base.
Bear in mind that Agadir is primarily a resort with the main attraction being the beach. And, what would a beach in Morocco be without camels being led by their handlers up and down the golden sand beach offering camel rides? The protected beach stretches for around 9km/5-1/2 miles along the relatively calm Atlantic. If you want to park your body in the sun for a week or so, there are many resort chains south of Agadir.
Continue reading "Agadir, Morocco" »
Air? You can search, plan and/or book on-line through BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and Kayak. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines for First, Business Class and Economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket.... There are countless airlines to choose from flying into Marrakech, Casablanca and other big cities in Morocco.
BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter highlights the industry's best deals from travel suppliers that you trust!
Visas? Visas are not required for British, Australia, New Zealand, Canadian, USA,
Other EU, and Japan citizens. Visit your local Moroccan Consulate for more information.
Travel Insurance? Some don't buy travel insurance, we always do...just in case. These trips are too expensive to risk losing everything if any problems arise. Contact Travel Guard for insurance needs. I recently read a big article in a reputable magazine advising against travel insurance and saying people don't really need it and can afford the expense if they lose money by cancelling. Are they kidding? Afford to lose $5,000 U.S. when ex-Marine had kidney stones two days before a trip? We said a big prayer of thanks for Travel Guard. Yes. There are lots of papers to fill out, but they reimbursed the entire amount. I say...TRAVEL INSURANCE.
 
Continue reading "Planning A Morocco Trip" »
Sometimes, ex-Marine (husband, Steve) is positive I have a few screws loose and am certifiably insane. Especially when a brainstorm struck of traveling around Morocco by public bus and taxis. Huh? Public bus, yes. Taxis? Where this stroke of brilliance (at least I thought it was brilliant) came from, who knows. We were very short of money (sound familiar?), none of the group tours were cheap enough and independent travel is always our druthers. To us, there are big pluses to independent travel:
- If something bores you, leave.
- If you don't want to see a site, don't.
- Eat what you want, when you want without any time, restaurant or cuisine constraints
Continue reading "Travel Morocco By Bus and Taxi" »
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